Chinese president, U.S. tech companies seek common ground

China wants to work with the U.S. to address concerns about intellectual property rights and access to its huge domestic markets, Chinese president Xi Jinpinq told a convocation of U.S. tech titans in Seattle on Wednesday.

Xi said it is natural to experience “frictions and differences” in the course of business, but “problems are always outnumbered by solutions.”

This event kicked off Xi’s first official state visit to the U.S. On Thursday he will be in Washington D.C. for a scheduled White House working dinner with President Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, and National Security Advisor Susan Rice. On Friday, the two presidents will hold a joint press conference.

Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that the Chinese government pushed for the Seattle visit in advance of the official Washington D.C. meetings to illustrate China’s own influence over U.S. tech companies. That could be a response to warnings that the U.S. might impose sanctions on Chinese companies over suspected Chinese hacking of U.S. companies and agencies.